This is a great swap and something we do all the time. There is no difference in swapping an OBD1 or OBD2 engine in an E36 that was a 318i. Just make sure you have the OBD2 wiring harness, sensors, and DME. The DME will need to be flashed to make it work with EWS. X20 plug is all you need for this swap. The X69 can just be left sitting in the engine bay. Everything willl work as intended, even the ability to check the engine codes, which is the main reason you want an OBD2 engine. No electrical modification is needed. Good luck and have fun!

Hey Kevin, sounds like a fun build. Unfortunately you can not adjust the lifters, as S50 uses hydaulic lifters, the only thing you can do is replace them. Also if reusing, the lifters need to go back in the exact same spot as they were in (so they mesh with the cam lobe), also in the same cam tray. If you have any concern of the lifter and they are out of order, we would suggest buying new lifters all together and starting fresh. These old motors do have lifter issues after age and stick. If you can afford it buy new lifters.

We do not have any experience with using PWM modules to control the fan, but we do sell an EZ Spal fan relay kit that I think would work the same way. It uses a temperature probe with a potentiometer where you can set the fan to come on at whatever temperature you desire. This is the simplest solution as you do not need to wire into the cars wiring harness. The Spal EZ fan relay kit would be a separate circuit by itself. Here is a link to the product below:

Good question. No there won't be any issues swapping a z3/e36/e46 rack into your 24v swap E30. All the clearances are there. Use the power steering lines for the engine and our rack swap kit.

It is not a bad idea for a last ditch effort if you think the idle control valve is indeed dirty. I would try using a CRC throttle body cleaner spray. You can find a link to it on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000M8PYO2/?tag=racegerman09-20 If that does not work, I would look for a known good working used one, or buy one new. Thanks!

That sounds like too much oil consumption. BMWs have been known to eat a little oil especially with age, but you shouldn't be using no more than a quart per oil change. I would start digging deeper into your engine. It sounds like maybe your rings are going bad or valve guide seals. Good luck!

It could need a cluster rebuild, but the odometer goes off the sensor in the differential. To make sure I would use GPS and test to see if it is actually a mile when it turns over. If the speedometer is accurate, than the odometer should be as well. It is more common for the odometer to actually stop because the gears inside break. They make rebuild kits for the odometer.

The siphon kit was made for the E36, but can be adapted to the E30 to prevent starvation in high G corners. The siphon will be connected to the fuel pump inside the tank. E30 fuel pumps have a metal tube for the return. You would need to cut this tube, and splice in two rubber fuel lines to T in the siphon. The black fitting you see on the siphon would then have a longer fuel hose that goes into the other side of the saddle tank. As fuel is sent back to the tank from the engine, it draws fuel over from the other side of the saddle, always providing fuel to the pickup side of the tank. I hope this makes sense. Thanks!

Yes, the heads are the same besides the cams/springs. This is true for M52/S52 as well. Both heads are identical besides the cams, so just swap them over. The only head that is different is the M50 non Vanos head. This is not a plug and play application.

The easiest way we have done it, is to install the m20 heater core block off plate, and then just plug the hose that went to back of the engine. You can find 1" PEX plugs from a hardware store. Plugging this hose is generally the most common way to do this, instead of looping.

Swapping a M20 into your 318i should be a pretty straight forward job, as BMW made the E30 have all the provisions for both engines. Other overlooked items would be a G260 transmission, the proper driveshaft, and upgrad to the later style shifter assembly. The early model E30 used the plate style shifter assembly, where the later model used the skinnier shifter carrier. Make sure you have all the sensors that go with the M20 engine. The early model E30 also came with a square C101, while the later M20B25 engines use a round C101. You will need to make an adapter or cut and splice. Check our blog page for free wiring diagrams you can download. Finally, not engine related, but I would encourage you to upgrade to the later model 51mm front strut tower assemblies. The '84 used skinner shock tubes, and the 51mm is a much better solution.

Although we have never done this, it sounds like it would be a fun project. Without actually looking into the wiring and doing it myself, I can give you a little guidance. This can easily be done. You will need to do a little rewiring though. You need to wire in the switch downstream or before the current makes it to the fuel pump. The issue you will want to look into is the E36 aux switch we sell is rated for 5 amps. If the fuel pump pulls more than 5 amps when it starts/running then you cant hook it directly to the switch. This is actually not a good practice for wiring any component to the switch. You should always have a fuse in line with the circuit as well. If the component is drawing more than 5 amps (rememeber its not just 5 amps while running, its 5 amps when starting too), you will need to wire in a relay. The switch will trigger the relay and then allow all the current to flow to the fuel pump. Hope this helps. I would highly suggest you study the wiring diagrams. If you need a free copy we have a link in our blog below https://www.racegerman.com/post/free-bmw-wiring-diagrams

All m5x engines are around the same. Startup should be around 50-68psi. If you installed an aftermarket oil pressure gauge, we usually pick one with the range of 0-80 psi. You should never see 80 psi. Idle and warm engine is about 15-20 psi, and the warning dummy (idiot) light comes on at 7psi. I hope this helps! Startup: 50-68psi Idle/Warm: 15-20 psi Warning Low: 7 psi An old school rule of thumb I grew up with is 10psi per 1000 rpm

This is a question that comes up a lot. You will need to use a 1997 528i fuel rail from a E39. This is a OBD2 fuel rail with the fuel pressure regulator on the back. This will allow all your beauty covers to bolt right up as well

24V swapping your E30 is very popular and a great upgrade. The ZF trans crossmember is the same for ZF auto and ZF manual transmissions. If the car had a getrag auto in it, it will not work. The part number for the cross member you need is 23702228014. The pedal boxes for the RHD and LHD are also the same and should be interchangeable. The part number for the pedal cluster base is 35101164842. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to email us pictures at info@racegerman.com to get your sorted.

Hey Kevin, sounds like you have a fun project. Its hard to say. When you say M50, I assume you mean M50tu, which has the VANOS. Earlier M50 engines did not have a VANOS. I do not think it would be the differential if you can feel the car slowing down after 3000 rpm. To me it sounds like a fuel problem. It could be something with your tuning and the 3.5 maf. Do you by any chance have the OEM maf with the OEM chip? I would be curious to see if everything goes back to normal then. If so, you can start working on why the tune and bigger maf slows the car down.